Agenda Report
Fullerton City Council
MEETING DATE: May 7, 2024
TO: CITY COUNCIL / SUCCESSOR AGENCY
SUBMITTED BY: adam loeser, fire chief
PREPARED BY: ANDREW YANG, ADMINISTRATIVE ANALYST I
SUBJECT: REVISED PARAMEDIC SUBSCRIPTION PROGRAM ADMINISTRATIVE RULES
SUMMARY
City Council adopted Resolution No. 8667 on March 21, 1995, establishing revised Paramedic Service Program administrative regulations, known as the Paramedic Subscription Program (Program). Staff requests City Council adopt a resolution to reflect updated Program rules.
PROPOSED MOTION
Adopt Resolution No. 2024-XXX.
RESOLUTION NO. 2024-XXX – A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF FULLERTON, CALIFORNIA, ESTABLISHING REVISED RULES FOR THE PARAMEDIC SUBSCRIPTION PROGRAM AND REPEALING RESOLUTION NO. 8667
ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS
Approve the Proposed Motion
Do not approve the Proposed Motion and provide alternative direction to the Fire Department for Paramedic Subscription Program administration Other options brought by City Council.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Proposed Motion.
CITY MANAGER REMARKS
The two main changes for the next year is to better define that this fee would apply per residence or family, and would have the program convert to an opt-in program.
PRIORITY POLICY STATEMENT
This item matches the following Priority Policy Statements:
Fiscal and Organizational Stability
Public Safety
FISCAL IMPACT
The City collects approximately $700,000 annually in membership fee revenue from the Paramedic Subscription Program. The following table contains subscription data for the past five fiscal years along with corresponding total fee revenue.
Paramedic Subscription Program Membership (Residential Only) Fiscal Year
Utility Bill
(Opt-Out)
Subscriptions
Non-Utility Bill
Subscriptions
Total
Subscribers
Fee Revenue
2023-2024
13,486
761
14,247
**$655,362**
2022-2023
14,526
997
15,523
**$714,060**
2021-2022
15,027
926
15,952
**$733,792**
2020-2021
14,163
964
15,127
**$693,106**
2019-2020
14,053
1,069
15,123
**$695,671**
Average
14,251
943
15,194
**$698,942**
**Estimated
The Fire Department will include an informational flyer with enrollment instructions in the May and June 2024 utility bills to encourage enrollment. This mailing would cost approximately $5,600 and be absorbed in the Fire Department’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-24 budget. The FY 2024-2025 enrollment data would determine if this remains a one-time or recurring annual cost.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The City began a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software suite implementation from Tyler Technologies in 2022 for cashiering, general billing and utility billing. The Utility Services Division (USD) will implement the Tyler Munis Utility Billing module and continue as the primary billing agent for the Paramedic Subscription Program. The Tyler Munis Utility Billing module does not support an opt-out program, so the proposed resolution changes the Paramedic Subscription membership to an opt-in program.
The City bills the Paramedic Subscription Program annually in May and June. The City previously included the membership fee in the total due amount for utility customers automatically enrolled into the Program by default. Beginning with the May 2024 billing cycle, customers wishing to enroll for the upcoming annual term will manually add the membership fee to their bill total. This changes the enrollment mechanism from an “opt- out” to an “opt-in” basis. The membership fee has remained $46.00 since 2018 and staff does not propose a fee increase at this time. The Fire Department anticipates some decrease in total enrollment figures due to billing process changes – namely, the additional responsibility for customers to calculate the total due amount on their own to include the $46.00 fee. This adjustment presents a more significant challenge for the 1,851 households currently using Auto-Pay for their utility bills.
City Council Resolution No. 8667, adopted on March 21, 1995, revised the administrative regulations governing the “Paramedic Service Program” and maintained the membership fee “opt-out” method on the residential water bill. In response to the change in billing practices, the Fire Department has taken this opportunity to thoroughly update the Paramedic Subscription Program resolution. The Program remains fundamentally unchanged, continuing to offer Fullerton residents and business owners an affordable coverage option to reduce or eliminate out-of-pocket expenses for pre-hospital emergency care. Membership waives subscriber financial responsibility for the uninsured portions of the Emergency Medical First Responder Fee and the Advanced Life Support Escort Fee. Furthermore, the Program provides unlimited service visits from Fullerton Fire Department personnel throughout the annual membership term. The revised set of Administrative Rules features updated language, clarified definitions and a stronger explanation of Program benefits. The City Attorney’s Office has approved this item to form.
The Fire Department will include a flyer in English, Spanish and Korean with the May and June 2024 utility bill, providing Paramedic Subscription Program enrollment instructions to mitigate the potential loss of subscribers. Additionally, the Fire Department plans to launch an aggressive promotional campaign across print and social media, complemented with enhanced information on the City website and informational flyers available at the Fullerton Community Center and the Fullerton Public Library. Residents and business owners who do not receive a monthly utility bill may enroll by phone or in person at Fullerton City Hall and Fire Department Headquarters. The Fire Department is also exploring options to provide a secure online enrollment form for future membership terms.
Attachments:
Attachment 1 – Draft Resolution
Attachment 2 – Paramedic Subscription Program Administrative Guidelines Attachment 3 – City Council Resolution No. 8667
Attachment 4 – Paramedic Subscription Program Mailing Insert cc: City Manager Eric J Levitt
Revised Paramedic Subscription Program Administrative Rules May 7, 2024 - Page 2